Firing mechanism



E. H. SEARLE.

FIRINGMEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1919.

15,393,912. Patented Oct. E8, 1921.

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FIRING MECHANISM.

APPucAnoN FILED MAYai. 1919.

1,393,912. Pa'nted Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

umriss stares rarest cierres.

ELBERT H. SEARLE, or isai'nenion'r, ooNNEeTIoT.

riniive ivicHAnIsM.

*original application inea Jiiiy 22, 191s; serialx No. 245,981. flammea-m'ui this@ 1919.'seria1i\io.3o1,o35.

' citizen' of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State 'of Connecticut, lhavejinvented certain Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

ThisV application is a vdivision of my application Serial No. 245,981, iled'July 22nd, 1918. for Letters Patent for improvements in 'breechiloading magazine fire-arms, the

several features of noveltyv in which, while applicable for the'tm'ostA part to magazine nre-arms in general, are designed particularly for and are illustrated as being em-A bodied in a semi-automatic or recoil actuated `A firelarm of the piston type.

More specifically stated, the invention herein claimed relatesto "certain improvements'in' the construction andrelation of parts whicligo tol make up the Viring'mechanism of such 'fire-arms', including the sear,

the releasing connector thereforfthe 'trigger Y for controlling l said connector, the striker,

and the safety member 'fori'preventing' uninf af minimum.- any. 'tendency to vrelease' the 'which tlie' several features of the present inventionv may be embodied.

Fig.- 2 is' a section of the ire-arm 'taken `in yan intermediate vertical longitudinal plane,' the striker" being cocked, land the lowerportion ofthe grip being'broken away.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal' sectional View of V the upper portion ofthe pistol and showing" parts'on the'oppositeY side of :the plane of Y section "from those 'shown in Fig. 2. l

Y Fig. "1l is vertical transverse section f i through the Vupper l'portion of the pistol'in Shaft.

l"Fig, 5' Ais a-'l'iorizbiital'sectionin a plane `tol 'adj acent saidl members.-

tagger.

"Figxfis atperspctive'viewof the Sear;l l A Y l striker intersectsnthe `outer .surface ofthe "frame,` and since thisouter Vend is designed tobe; flush with thesurface when the' SearV vis admitted to the recess 9axof the striker and A. Y y l 7' is aV rear elevational viewI ofthe l',repre'sentsl` theframe; 2 the grip; 3

' barrel heldagainst both rotaryV and longit'iidinal movement upon the frame by the lock- Specification 01" Lettei'sPateiit.

Patented oet; is,l i921.

plicat'ion ledMay" 31,

'ing vblock 4:; 5 a breech-slide which extends y f groove joints 6 and'wliicli is i' rovided`` V'thv new and useful Improvements `in Firing 7 p Wl thezusual ejector opening' '7;' 8 theV breechclosure removably insertedV through' the un- 'der side "of the "breech-slidebutf'longitudinally fixed therein and carrying: tliestrker 9; 10 the Sear; ll the" trigger; l24 the trigV` ger Vand sear connector; and/13'l lthe extrae! z irin,fsov far as'above described, each entersv into 'the organization for thes'arneV general purposes 'and -insubs'tantially 'the samey vfunctional relationship? tto the otheif'parts* as is common finf'fir'e-'arms f of this -general f type, 'The' sem.

The scar l0 embodies thewpeculiarity of having a substantially.V straight line or slid. ing movement transverse to the axis of the 'strikerwhich it "detains, so as to 'reduce to strikerby a shlockfor' aar. This'movement is preferably laterallyy transverse fto theaxis of the breech-slide lthat is to say, the lsear4 is `vsupported vertically and lmgitudinally'ofz the'gun, and moves'in direction 'suiiiciently near horizontal to' render ineffective its'jin- "ertia at times of 'either verticalior longitudinal jarring of the gun. As is 'shown in Figs.-

6 and A4,''itengages in front of aflongitudi# 'sov nalV exter'isioifi'9ai on 'the' under side of the striker `by an' end 'moving diagonally into engagement therewith, while the general direction of thefsearin which lit must move to' "release Vthe striker islaterally and down-v wardly. therearward elongationof the pro] ect-ion' 9rL the Sear is 'held downward out 'of engaging position so long as kthe striker is forwardofjits cocked position, and `the `sear is thus maintained'in readiness to up A*into arresting' position v'vllieiieverfjtlie striker/isl again* in'oved rearwardly byy 'the openingof the breech. "It willalso be seen -that" theA end of vthe".seanremoteV from 'the' and the"l'atter is cocked, but `'projects outwardly beyond the Vsurface whenever the' striker is in a position to hold the Sear out of the recess 93X, the outer end 10a becomes an accurate and convenient indicator of the condition of the striker. Any suitable spring may be employed for normally pressing the sear 10 inwardly,as, for instance, the spring 10b working in the recess of the horn 10c of the sear, as shown in Fig. 6.

Sear safety.

The protrusion of the end l?l of the sear incident to its disengagement fromthe striker serves the further purpose of locking the Sear against such displacement, and thus rendering the fire arm additionally safe when not in use. To accomplish this, a lever 30, mounted upon a rotary shaft 30al and extending transversely of the frame,

, may be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to a position overlying the projecting end 10a, and when so adjusted, makes it impossible for the sear to move out of engagement with the striker. For the purpose of Aholding the lever 30 either in the position of Fig. 1 or in its Sear-engaging position'at substantially 90o thereto, a spring 30" is introduced into the rear end of the frame in position to bear upon either of two flat faces 30 or 80d of said shaft, and so holdit releasably in either position to which it may be moved.

Trigger and Sear connector.

is indicated at 12. Its relation to the trigger 11 is best shown in Fig. 5, where it will be seen to have a transversely projecting end 12EL immediately behind the trigger and in position to receive the Vtrigger' spring 11, while it terminates at the rear in a camming end 12b through which it coacts with the sear. Its control over the sear will be understood from Fig, 4, where it is shown passing through a notch in the under side of the outer end of the sear in such relation that l as the connector moves rearwardly its cam face 12b will force the sear outwardly and release the striker. The connector 12 has another movement, namely, a vertical movement by which it is caused to release the sear during the automatic action of the breech-slide, and so leave the sear ready to 1 catch the striker and hold it in cocked position as the breach is closed. This displacement movement is imparted to a lug 12c (Fig. 5) on the upper side of the connector 12, which liesl normally in the vertical plane of the edge of the breech-slide, and is pressed downwardly thereby at all times, except when it coincides with the recess 5C, as shown in Fig. 3. That is to say, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 the connector 12 may rise up under the tipping action of the trigger spring 11C, for which e'ect the transverse projection 121 is vertically elongated, as shown in Fig. 3, and so presents its rear end in controlling relation to the sear. yWhen the trigger is pulled and the lire-arm recoils, rearward movement of the breech slide 5 passes the recess 5 be# yond the lug 12c so that the under edge of the breech-slide cams down the connector 12 and so takes the rear end of the connector away from the Sear and leaves the latter under control of its spring to engage in the recess 9ax of thestriker as the latter reaches it in the return or closing movement of the breech mechanism, and so that the striker will be held back to cocked position while the remainder of the breech mechanism continues forward to the breech-closing position.

I claim: Y'

1. In a fire-arm, a frame having a longitudinal slide track, a breech slide reciproeating on said slide track, a'striker moving longitudinally of said breech slide, and a sear having a bearing vin the framein which it slides lendwise into and out of coaction with said striker; said sear and its slide bearing extending substantially laterally from the point of coaction with the striker to a position beneath the slide track.

2. In a fire-arm, aV frame having a longitudinal slide track, a breech slide reciproeating on said slide track, aV striker moving longitudinallyof said breech slide, and a scar having a bearing in the frame in which it slides endwise into and out of coaction with said striker; said sear and its slide bearing extending substantially laterally from the point of coaction with the striker `to a position beneath the slide track; and

said sear having an outer end disposed in a side face of the frame.

3. In a firearm, a frame having a longitudinal slide track, a breech slide reciprocating on said slide track, a striker moving longitudinally of said breech slide, and a sear having a bearing in the frame in which it slides endwise into and out of ceaction with said striker; said sear and its slidel bearing extending substantially laterally from the point of coaction withl the striker to a position beneath the slide track; and said sear being confined in its slide bearing by said breech slide.

4. In a iire arm, a longitudinally reciprocating breech slide, a striker moving longitudinally thereof, a sear sliding endwise into and out of detaining relation to said striker, in a direction later.-

ally and downwardly inclined thereto, and a frame having a longitudinal slide track for said breech slide and beneath said slide track, a laterally transverse slide bearing, confining said sear; said Sear intersecting the outer lateral face of said frame.

5. In a fire arm, a longitudinally reciprocating breech slide, a striker moving longitudinally thereof, a sear sliding endwise into and out of detaining relation to said striker, in a direction laterally and downwardly inclined thereto, a frame having a longitudinal slide track for said breech slide and beneath said slide track, a laterally transverse slide bearing, confining said sear, a trigger mounted in said frame, and a trigger connector sliding longitudinally of the frame and transversely of the sear and having camming action upon the latter.

6. In a lire arm, a longitudinally reciprocating breech slide, a striker moving longitudinally thereof, a sear sliding endwise into and out of detaining relation to said striker, in a direction laterally and downwardly inclined thereto, a frame having .a longitudinal slide track for said breech slide and beneath said slide track, a laterally transverse slide bearing, confining said sear, a trigger mounted in said frame, and a trigger connector sliding longitudinally of the frame and transversely of the sear and having camming action upon the latter; said connector also having at its end adjacent the sear, a vertical movement to displace it from the sear, and said breech slide having displacing action upon said connector.

7. In a fire arm, a breech closure, a striker carried thereby, a sear moving laterally and downwardly inclined to said striker, and a trigger connector coacting at one end with the sear, and swinging at said end for separation therefrom; said connector having a face, a bearing receiving said face and presenting the connector against the Sear but upon which the connector tilts in separating from the sear, and a spring pressing said face upon said bearing.

8. In a re arm, a striker, a sear for said striker, a trigger connector coacting at one end with said sear but swinging at said end to separate it therefrom, ,a trigger, said connector and trigger having flat transverse faces through which they coact ,and by which when pressed together, the connector is presented to the sear, and ya spring pressing together said iat faces.

9. In a lire-arm having a reciprocating breech-closure and a firing element incased therein, a sear engaging and disengaging the firing element by a sliding movement substantially laterally transverse to the axis of the bore of the lire-arm and inclined downwardly from the tiring element, whereby it moves into engagement with the latter without engaging the walls of the breechclosure in which the firing element is incased.

10. In a fire-arm having a frame and a reciprocating breech-slide with a iiring element incased therein, a sear mounted upon the frame and held thereto by means of the breech-slide; said sear moving into and out of engagement with the firing element by a straight line sliding movement in a downwardly inclined path substantially laterally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the lire arm and reaching the liring element above without engaging the wall of the breech-slide in which the firing element is incased.

11. In a lire arm having a grip, a reciprocating breech-closure and a striker mounted therein, a sear engaging and disengaging the Vstriker by a sliding movement substantially laterally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the lire arm and intersecting a lateral surface of the lire-arm near the grip to indicate the position of the sear; said striker having a rearward projection, said striker overlying the Sear and holding it out of engaging position when the striker is projected, ,and thereby causing the sear to indicate the position of the striker.

12. In a lire-arm having a grip, a reciprocating breech-closure and a striker mounted therein, a sear engaging and disengaging the striker by a sliding movement substantially laterally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fire-arm .and intersecting a lateral surface of the lirearmvnear the grip to indicate the position of the scar; and a safety member having an arm moving over the exterior surface of the fire-arm and adapted to overlie the exposed end of the sear when the striker is cocked.

Signed at Bridgeport, Conn., this 17 of May, 1919.

ELBERT H. SEARLE. 

